The Naked Truth
by lizteroid
Summary: Set during S1 of Desperate Housewives, based upon the real-life story of the 'Calendar Girls'


My name is Mary Alice Young. When you read this morning's paper you may come across an article about the unusual day I had last week. Normally there is never anything newsworthy about my life, but that all changed last Thursday. Of course, everything seemed quite normal at first. I made breakfast for my family, I performed my chores, I completed my projects, I ran my errands. In truth, I spent the day as I spent every other day, quietly polishing the routine of my life, until it gleamed with perfection. That's why it was so astonishing when I decided to go to my hallway closet and retrieve a revolver that had never been used. The women of Wisteria Lane were most definitely grief stricken and each one of them stood motionless once they were told about my passing, and they decided to do something about it…this is their story. The Naked Truth.

* * * * *

"So what do we do?" Gabrielle said softly.

Susan sighed as did Lynette before they looked between each other, and Bree finally spoke up, "I think we need to do something…a remembrance…" she sighed as she looked to the calendar and saw the date marked off for the coffee date that they were all to have with Mary Alice.

"I just wish we would have saw and noticed things about her" Lynette said softly, "It just…the last time I spoke with her was yesterday morning" the blonde looked between the other women and she sighed, "Why didn't I stop and talk with her?"

Susan took Lynette's hand, "Honey, you can't be blaming yourself for it" she assured the blonde.

"Well we need to do something, I think we should all chip in for her remembrance…pay for it all" Gabrielle announced.

"Yes Gaby" Bree agreed, "We should also…" Bree then got an idea, "We should make a campaign: Stop suicides…"

"Bree that is one hell of an idea" Lynette nodded and smiled gently.

"Oh and we have that calendar for the Fairview Women's club coming up…" Bree reminded them.

"Oh jeez, not that!" Gaby hissed a little and Susan chuckled rolling her eyes with Gaby.

"That calendar…" Bree began, "Helps to keep our park looking tidy and in full bloom, and it buys all of our coffee and helps us homemakers provide the muffins and macaroons for the meetings"

"Alright, alright!" Gaby giggled and nodded, "I'll stop dishing it"

Bree nodded gently and smiled proudly, she then looked back to the calendar and she nodded a little, thinking up and idea for it.

The ladies gathered around the table at the Fairview Women's club that day, a tin had been laid out for the funds for Mary Alice's funeral costs and each of the women had donated something towards it since Mary Alice had been such a brilliant lady in their community. And so, Bree stood at the front with the leader of the women's group, Maisy Gibbons, she seemed to rule everything lately.

"I had this idea just earlier this morning ladies" Bree addressed the women in the room, "And it's the annual calendar only…we should be in it. Gaby you know photographers right?" the redhead looked to Gabrielle.

"Uhh…sure" Gaby replied, a little conscious as all eyes were on her now and she wasn't on the safe haven of her runway.

"And, you can get us some dresses right?" Bree smiled.

Again, Gabrielle nodded and smiled to her red headed friend.

"Okay, so, I was thinking we should be in this calendar and doing some kind of fashion show" Bree smiled.

Maisy looked furious, "No, we have to have the memorials and features of around Fairview"

"Maisy…those memorials will always be there" Lynette jumped in.

Maisy looked to the blonde now and she glared a little, narrowing her eyes.

"Yes, and if they get vandalised…" Bree said, "They get restored…we don't"

Lynette nodded a little at Bree's comment, "Maisy, we aren't getting any younger, and people are quite frankly sick to death of those memorials and beauty spots in Fairview, if they wanna see them, they can go to them…now why don't we show them our own beauty spots?"

Maisy was not having any of it. These women were utterly crazy, she frowned upon them before she replied, "You go ahead and make your calendar, we" she gestured to the rest of the women, "Will make our own, traditional calendar"

Bree and Lynette looked to each other, "Okay, first let's see who wants to make our calendar…ladies?" Lynette said looking out to the sea of women before them. And of course, Susan and Gaby stood first, followed by Edie and then by Finola Miller, Grace Reddin and Kimberly Ellison. Lynette looked triumphantly to Maisy and she smirked a little, "Okay, so let's get making on these calendars"

Maisy leaned closer to Lynette and Bree, "We'll see who Fairview wants to buy" and she huffed over to the other women.

"Oh, bring it bitch" Lynette muttered when Maisy walked off, "We will see"

Back home, the ladies left Bree's car before they all departed on their separate routes to their homes and the redhead left her car to go to Rex, she was to take him to the hospital, his weekly check up for his heart troubles. Things had been getting progressively worse the last few times they had been and Bree was most definitely worried about Rex, though he remained strong and assured her daily that he'd be okay. And so they went to the hospital.

* * * * *

On the way back from the hospital, Bree parked up on Skyline Drive and she smiled softly over to Rex, "You remember our first date here? And when you proposed to me?"

Rex looked over to her and nodded, "Of course I remember it, I would never forget it"

"I always remember that look in your eyes when you asked me and what you said; If you marry me Bree Mason, I will love you forever" she smiled to Rex gently, "And you've kept that promise, I love you Rex…I don't know what I'll do without you" her voice became a whisper as she said the last thing.

Rex sighed and he looked to his lap before he reached up with his hand and gently brushed back the lose hair behind Bree's ear, "Bree, you know nothing lasts forever, especially life, but…my love for you will always be here, even if I'm not" he paused for a moment to look over her face, capturing her beauty, her vulnerability and her love for him, "While I'm still here, lets make the most of what we have?" he smiled to her.

Bree nodded gently and she smiled tearfully before she sniffed a little and moved over to Rex, laying her back against his chest as he wrapped his arms around her body and held her close. The two sat in their car, watching the world go by for a number of hours until finally Bree sighed and looked up at Rex, "We should uhm…get home, the kids will be worried" and she started the car before driving them back home.

* * * * *

Not even a month had passed and Bree got the call she'd been dreading. The girls all gathered around her, comforting her, helping to maintain the sparkling standard of upkeep her house usually required and most of all to be there as her friends. With her husband and best friend now passed away, Bree felt numb. Rex had been everything to her, they'd shared the best years of their lives together and had a wonderful marriage, two great kids, they had the perfect life. And now all of that was gone for her. Bree was startled out of her reverie when she noticed her son storming down the stairs excitedly.

"Hey Danielle, tell mom I'm goin' out to shoot pictures of these naked…" he turned and saw the group of women sitting there and looking to him in disbelief, he then noticed Bree in the middle, "Bottles. Hey mom…I'm just goin' out…"

"Yes, I know, Andrew, what are you taking pictures of?" Bree asked, getting a small idea.

"Mom if this another lecture, I'd rather not tell you…"

"No, it's not, will you tell me?"

"Models, okay, can I go now?" Andrew asked her.

"Models" Bree whispered and smiled, "Uh yes, you can go…have fun" she said quietly.

Susan waited for Andrew to leave, "Bree, his father just died, aren't you going to tell him?"

"Susan, I know my children, I don't want to ruin his evening or ours…" Bree replied, with a sad smile.

"Okay" Susan nodded and smiled a little before she looked to the other ladies.

Bree was still thinking up something and finally she said, "I wanna do this calendar for Rex…"

"Bree your husband just died, are you sure you wanna take on this responsibility?" Lynette asked, touching her hand a little.

"I'm quite sure and I have an idea" the redhead beamed.

"Which is?" Gaby asked.

"Us on the calendar…and so more people will buy our calendar…we'll be naked" the redhead suggested.

"Naked? Bree!" Susan gasped a little at Bree's idea, "Are you sure?"

"Susan, this is going to be in aid of the heart foundation, Rex and I always gave money to that charity and they did their best to save him, so I think I owe a little more than getting out my body but, it's a start. All proceeds can go to the charity" she smiled proudly to her group of friends.

"Alright" Susan nodded still a little unsure.

"Good, Gaby I'll put you in charge of the photographer. Lynette you can round up the troops, Edie if any seduction needs o happen, I will rely on you for that…" Bree smirked a little and received a nudge back from the blonde and then the redhead turned to Susan, "And Susan I'll put you in charge of who is which month, and the set in which we'll be photographed"

"That's fine with me" Lynette nodded along with Gaby and Edie.

"Susan?" Bree raised her brows as she waited for an answer from the brunette.

"Sure" Susan nodded, "Okay, well, I've gotta run now so, I'll get to work on those sets and the calendar order" she smiled as she stood, "And Bree…Rex'd be proud of this" she gave her a nod.

The other ladies nodded and before long all were gone from the Van De Kamp's home. All but Lynette, she stayed with Bree and she reminisced over the good times with Rex, helping Bree to remember him and not mourn him. Lynette looked to Bree before she said, "Bree it's great to see you laughing…I'd rather see you this way, and I know Rex always loved you to laugh"

"He did, especially when I'd burn the toast" Bree giggled.

"Yeahh…" Lynette chuckled before she stood with Bree and smiled, "You keep smiling okay? I'm gonna start on picking out people to join our society…" she walked to the door with Bree and gave her a hug before she left, leaving Bree alone and preparing herself to tell her children about their father's passing.

So, soon it passed that the women of Wisteria Lane would do their shoot, at Bree's house. The sets were all made up for them to walk into and be positioned as the photographer wanted them to be done. The ladies all changed into their robes and lingered around, snacking on the small buffet Bree had prepared for their evening. Soon the photographer knocked on the door and was greeted by Edie and Gaby. They brought him inside and Bree swiftly offered him some snacks from the tray she was carrying as the other women lingered around him.

The photographer, whose name the ladies learned was Merton, he was flushed, cheeks red from the attention he was getting from all of the women around him. And soon the shutter was clicking away as the flashes were popping while Merton was photographing the ladies in each of their scenes for the calendar; Gaby sitting in front of a mirror, her body turned softly so that it was obvious she was naked. Susan standing behind her easel, holding up a paintbrush in her mouth. Lynette was making a tapestry, the cloth softly clinging to her exposed body as she smiled at the camera. Edie had chosen to do something totally un-Edie like, she was doing some dusting of the mantelpiece, looking coyly over her shoulder as she flicked the duster. And, Bree, stood behind her famous baskets of muffins.

Looking to the scene, Edie snorted a little as she saw Bree exposing herself slightly, "You know, I think we're gonna need bigger baskets…"

Merton looked up just as Bree realised she was exposed and he chuckled, nodding softly, "Gaby could you…?" he asked the slight Latina to his left. Gaby looked up at him and nodded gently before she went away to find some other baskets in Bree's storage, she returned back with some and smiled to Merton before he then said, "Could you…position them, I'll just go out and get some air…" he said to her, obviously struggling with the shoot.

Gaby giggled and looked into Merton's eyes, "You've never photographed women before?"

"Only landscapes" Merton replied as he watched Gaby move off into the kitchen area towards an embarrassed Bree, "Just call me back inside when you're ready" he told them and went off outside for a smoke.


End file.
